Combined measuring and dispensing attachment for bins.



L. B. THOMAS. COMBINED MEASURING AND DISPENSING ATTAGHMENT FOR BINS.

APPLIOATIQN FILED JAN.12. 1911.

- Patented Oct. 10, 1911.

Inventor Attorneys AFB (0.. WASH UNITED STATES PATN T OFFICE.

LUTHER B. THOMAS, OF SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL COM- PUTING BIN COMPANY, LTD, OF LOUISIANA.

SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, A CORPORATION OF COMBINED MEASURING AND DISPENSING ATTACHMENT FOR BINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1911.

Application filed January 12, 1911. Serial No. 602,318.

Tc all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUTHER B. a citizen of the United States, residing at Shreveport, in the parish of Caddo and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Combined Measuring and Dispensing Attachment for Bins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to measuring and computing bins by means of which various products, such as cereals, su ar, etc., may

THOMAS,

i be measured and then readily discharged into a bag or other receptacle, means being provided whereby not only the amount of material will be indicated, but also the price charged therefor.

The device is more especially an improvement upon the structure disclosed in an application filed by me on April 18, 1910, said application bearing Serial N 0. 556,034.

One of the objects of the invention is to simplify and otherwise improve upon structures of a similar nature heretofore devised and to provide means whereby the area of the measuring compartment can be quickly and accurately varied either to measure different products or difierent quantities of one product.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter clescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a section on line AB Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line CD Fig. 2, parts being broken away. Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on line EF Fig. 9.. Fig. 5 is a View partly in section of a portion of a modified form of apparatus.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 designates a casing having an outlet spout 2 extending from the lower portion of the front thereof, thisspout constituting the bottom of a measuring box 3 the front of which has guide cleats 1 along the sides thereof and is adapted to be partly or entirely closed by a slide 5 mounted within the cleats.

A slot 6 is formed in the lower end portion of the slide 5 and a cut-off plate 7 is slidably mounted within the slot 6 and throughout the width of the box 3. A lever 8 is fulcrumed, as at 9, to the upper portion of the slide 5 while its lower end portion extends loosely through the outer end of the cut-off plate 7 and has a handle 10 whereby the said lever may be readily manipulated. A holding plate 11 extends downwardly from the slide and close to one of the cleats 4, this plate carrying a spring 12 which bears constantly against said cleat with sufiicient pressure to sup-port the slide 5 in any position to which it may be adjusted.

It is to be understood of course that the box 3 does not extend outside of the casing l but projects downwardly from an inclined ,bottom plate 13 forming the bottom of a hopper 14 the front of which is closed by a wall 15. The slide5 moves along the outer face of this front wall.

The back wall of the box 3 has an opening 16 surrounded by a flange 17 and a head 18 is slidably mounted in this opening and has a stem 19 supported, at its back end, within a guide bracket 20. The movement of this stem relative to the bracket is limited by means of a screw 21 slidable within a slot 22 in the bracket and said stem and its head may be adjusted by means of a screw 23 swiveled in the stem 19 and engaging the back wall of the casing 1. That end of the head 18 located in the box 3 is provided with an adjustable wall 24; extending throughout the height of the box 3 and provided, at its upper end, with a rearwardly extending shelf 25 bearing the upper end of the box. the side walls of the box support a top clo sure 26 in the form of a plate designed, to work under the lower front edge of the bottom plate 13. Said closure is connected, as by means of a link 27, to an arm 28 extend ing downwardly from a shaft 29. Said shaft is journaled within and extends transversely downwardly on This shelf and.

of the upper portion of the casing 1 and is provided, at one end, and outside of the easing, with an operating handle 30.

Arranged along one of the cleats 4: is a scale 31 and a pointer or index 32 is connected to the slide 5 and is adapted to designate any one of the graduations upon the scale. These graduations may be arranged so as to indicate both weight and price.

When the attachment is to be used for measuring and dispensing any products, as for example, sugar, the slide 5 is adjusted vertically until the index 82 points to the graduation designated by 1 1 A. pound of sugar is then placed in the box 3 above the cut-off plate 7 and the adjustable wall 24 is shifted toward or away from the slide 5 until all of the space between the plate 7 and the closure 26 is filled with the sugar.

The foregoing procedure may be followed in adjusting the parts to any other kinds of products. After the parts have been adjusted, the hopper 1st may be partly or entirely filled, it being understood that the closure 26 prevents any of the material from passing down into the box 3. When it is desired to measure five pounds, slide 5 is drawn down by means of lever 8 until the index 32 points out the numeral 5 in the pound column, this index at the same time pointing out a numeral in the price column and which indicates the amount for which 5 pounds are to be sold. During this clownward movement of the slide, the ut-oif plate 7 moves downwardly in the box 3 and. after the proper adjustment has been effected, the lever 8 can be released and the spring 12 will support the parts against further movement. Closure 26 is then pushed backward by swinging the handle 30 backwardly from the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The upper end of the box will thus be opened and a portion of the contents of the hopper will move down-- wardly by gravity onto the cut-off plate 7 and thus completely fill all parts of the box above the cut-off plate and between the walls 24: of the slide 5. Closure 26 can then be moved back to its normal position after which the lever S can be drawn forward. Cutoff plate 7 will thus be pulled longitudinally within slot 6 and the con tents of the box will drop downwardly into the outlet spout 2 and be directed thereby into a bag or other receptacle. here more than one box 3 is used in a bin or casing, each closure 33 may be connected, by a link 34, to an arm 35 extending from a shaft 36 j ournaled within the casing and back of the box 3. This shaft is adapted to be operated by a handle 37 extending through the front of the casing and working within a slot 38 formed within said casing close to one side of the box 39.

In the structure shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the

shaft 29 may be provided with a coiled spring 40 for the purpose of returning the handle 30 to its initial position and for shutting the closure 26 after said handle has been released.

What is claimed is 2-- 1. A combined measuring and computing bin including a receptacle, a measuring box extending downwardly therefrom and communicating therewith, said box having an outlet at its lower end, a closure at the upper end of the box, a slide constituting the front closure of the box, a cut-off plate carried by the slide and slidable transversely thereof, means carried by the slide for shifting said slide and for sliding the cut-off plate, and an adjustable wall within the box and movable toward or away from the slide.

2. A combined measuring and computing bin, comprising a receptacle having an out let, a measuring box extending downwardly from the outlet and having a discharge opening at its lower end, an element slidably mounted in one wall of the box, threaded means for adjusting said element into or out of the box, a wall carried by said element and within the box, said wall having an upper shelf engaging the upper end of the box, a closure slidably mounted on the shelf, means for actuating the closure, and a vertically adjustable cut-off plate movable toward or away from the adjustable wall.

3. A combined dispensing and computing bin, including a receptacle having an outlet, a measuring box extending downwardly from the outlet, said box having an outlet at its lower end, an adjustable wall within the box and adjustable toward or away from one wall thereof, said wall extending longitudinally of the box, a stem projecting from the wall and beyond the box, threaded means engaging the stem for shifting the adjustable wall, a slide constituting one wall of the box, a cut-off plate slidably mounted within and movable with said slide, means engaging the slide and the cut-off plate for shifting the slide and for moving said plate into or out of the box, said adjustable wall constituting an abutment for the cutoff plate, and a closure at the upper end of the box.

4:. A combined measuring and computing bin, including a receptacle having an outlet, a measuring box extending downwardly from the outlet and having a discharge opening at its lower end, a slide constituting one wall of the box, a cut-off plate slidably mounted in said slide, means connected to the slide and cut-off plate for shifting said slide and for moving the plate into and out of the box, yielding means movable with the slide for frictionally engaging a stationary wall of the box to support the slide, a closure at the upper end of the box, and means within the box and shiftable toward or away from the slide, for varying the transverse area of the compartment within the box.

5. The combination with a receptacle having an outlet, of a measuring box extending downwardly from the outlet and having a discharge opening at its lower end, a slide constituting one wall of the box, a cut-01f plate carried by and slidable in said slide, means on the slide for shifting the slide and for moving the plate into or out of the box, a wall within the box and constituting an abutment for the cut-off plate, adjustable means for supporting said wall threaded means for shifting said wall toward or away from the slide, a shelf movable with said wall and bearing on the upper end of the box, and a closure mounted on the shelf and box for closing communication bet-ween the receptacle and the box.

6. The combination with a receptacle having an outlet, of a measuring box extending downwardly from said outlet and having a discharge opening at its lower end, a wall movably mounted within the box, means for adjustably supporting said wall a shelf carried by said wall and bearing downwardly on the box, a closure slidably mounted on the box and shelf, a spring controlled means for shifting the closure into closed position,

said means being adapted to be operated to a slide constituting one wall of the box, a

cut-off plate carried thereby and movable toward or away from said movable wall, and means connected to the slide and cut-0E plate for moving said slide and for shifting the plate independently of the slide, an index carried by the slide, and fixed graduated means adjacent the slide and cooperating with the index.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LUTHER B. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

U. C. ADDISON, N. T. MIMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

